Friday, April 4, 2014

Blog Tour: Daughter of Chaos (Red Magic #1) by Jen McConnel

Daughter of Chaos

(Red Magic #1)

by

Jen McConnel

Pub March 25th 2014

by Month9Books

ARC for Review

Summary
Witches must choose the path they will follow, and Darlena Agara is no exception. She’s been putting it off long enough, and in her case, ignoring it has not made it go away. In a moment of frustration, Darlena chooses to follow Red Magic, figuring she had outsmarted the powers that be, since there’s no such thing as Red Magic. But alas, Darlena’s wrong (again) and she becomes a newly declared Red Witch.

Her friends are shocked and her parents horrified by the choice Darlena has made. As a Red Witch, she now governs one third of the world’s chaos. She is the walking personification of pandemonium, turmoil, and bedlam, just as the patrons of Red Magic would have it to be.

But Darlena believes there must be more to Red Magic than chaos and destruction, and she sets out on a journey to achieve balance. Only doing so puts her at odds with the dark goddess Hecate, who simply will not allow Darlena to quit. She encourages Darlena to embrace who and what she is and to leave good magic to the good witches. If only Darlena could, life would be simple, and she would not be the Daughter of Chaos.

DAUGHTER OF CHAOS is the first in a YA paranormal trilogy

The Way I See It

I really enjoyed Daughter of Chaos, it was different and mysterious. McConnel’s writing is addictive I was unable to put this down. There were gods from all types of mythology not just Greek, (those are my fav) so that was fun. Everyone seems to take an interest in Darlena her interactions were great, she made me lol. Having said that I really wanted to connect with the characters more! Justin(the love interest) plays a pretty important role but he was very confusing I couldn’t tell if he had feelings for Darlena or if he was just being a “good guy.” Then at one point he flies off the handle towards her (justifiably so) but I was like “jeez dude chill out! If you weren’t so confusing that would have never happened!” Darlena is headstrong and though she might not be a White Witch she isn’t destined for the black path either. Her personality was impressive I could understand why she was destined to be a Red Witch. I’m looking forward to continuing this series because I can’t wait to see what happens next.

D-estiny, not wanting to choose a path Darlena makes a rash declaration hoping it will buy her some time, not knowing she was meant for this her whole life.

A-fraid, no one truly understands red magic those that do aren’t talking. Darlena can no longer rely on her mother’s guidance and help, a looming wicked god will not allow it.

U-nknowingly, in defending her life Darlena will cause chaos but balance future destruction. Though scary her path is set and this is what she wants to do.

G-uide, Justin has always been a friend Darlena will seek him out with the hope that she can trust him.

H-ecate, dark and dangerous she wants to control Darlena and will stop at nothing to have her under her thumb.

T-heory, Darlena and Justin figure out a way to stop certain events from happening, instead of lasting peace this enrages those it opposes.

E-lude, with the help of love Darlena is able to stay safe while practicing her magic.

R-emorse, Darlena was never one to believe that love is a dangerous magic she finds out in the most painful way that is not the case.

O-bscure, betrayal has a very familiar face Darlena is in danger and has nowhere to turn, she is now truly alone.

F-orce, with the help of a potential patron of Red Magic Darlena gets a reprieve but the cost is almost too unbearable.

C-omfort, Darlena makes a friend and is able to regroup. A careless act is the catalyst towards an impending confrontation.

H-elpless, a region is headed towards certain doom; Darlena is tired of running she sets out to embrace what has always been her destiny.

A-fraid, the storm has arrived Darlena knows what must happen but her heart hurts at the outcome. Becoming a monster weighs heavy on her mind but she is left without a choice, Darlena must protect those she loves.

O-pportunity, Darlena has been rushed back and forth; important decisions have been made hastily. Accepting the advice afforded to her she will not make the same mistake again.

S-acrifice, living in comfort and ignorance is no longer an option Darlena seeks balance and for the first time she can see clearly what she must do and where she must go.

Daughter of Chaos was full of twists and turns and Darlena had to figure everything out on her own with minimal guidance. It was really hard to tell who was truly on her side so I was able to relate with her feelings towards her situation. We see a certain transformation take place and it was nice to read that ah ha moment of hers. I loved that with everything she regrets becoming a Red Witch did not make the list. Her capacity of love and tenacious headstrong personality she is the right gal for the job. The ending was sad and happy at the same time! Not to worry y’all there isn’t a cliffhanger or anything but it is left very open and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I am looking forward to meeting other gods Darlena encounters, and what Hecate has in store for her.

My Wish

I know Justin has chosen the White Magic path and is kind, honest, reserved, blah, blah, blah…boring!! Come on J I know there’s more to you than the Rede! He is super strong and super smart I want his character to JUMP off the pages!! I see the potential there with him so I want him to embrace HIS calling :0) OR if he’s not destined to be super awesome I want Darlena to dump the zero and find a hero ;0)

Jen McConnel now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.

I heard about this book from The Regulator when they announced that they were doing an event with the author in early April. I was stoked to get to meet another YA author, especially of a book that looked right up my ally! I loved the author and I loved the book! I can't wait to read the second one!user recommended Zespri New Zealand Golden kiwi fruit information